Brotherly Love Conquers All

Tomorrow night (Friday, September 28th) at 8:00 p.m., the West Virginia Mountaineers will take the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. They will line up against the South Florida Bulls in what is being hyped as one of the biggest games in all of college football this season, and as one of the biggest games in the history of the Big East conference.

The University of South Florida is an institution comprised of more than 40,000 undergraduate students in Tampa. It also happens to be the university my wife, Kelly, and I attended. We have been devoted fans of the Bulls (especially football and men's basketball) since our time there in the late 1990's and early 2000's.

Obviously, Kelly and I are "pumped" for Friday night's showdown on ESPN. We are in the middle of ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) country here, but we have at least two WVU Mountaineer fans that I know of here at Cold Harbor. I have been preparing both of these brothers for their defeat over the past two or three weeks, but I am not convinced they are ready to handle the deep depression that will set in when the clock reads 0:00 and the point total under "Bulls" is higher than that under "Mountaineers" (sorry guys, had to say it!).

I write all that to say this: No matter how passionate we may be about a sports team or any other interest in life, there ought to be nothing that supercedes these two things:

1. Our love for God
2. Our love for our fellow man

While we should be good and kind to everyone about us, our Christian brothers and sisters should occupy a unique reservation in the love we bestow (Galatians 6:10). Would you believe churches have been split and preachers have lost their jobs due to arguments about football games?!?! 'Tis true! What a tragedy when brethren place greater value on their allegiance to a sports teams (or anything else) than on their relationship in Christ.

It is so rewarding to have Christian brothers like Joe and Steve. We can enjoy the rivalry on the field, all the while maintaining our love for and commitment to Christ and one another.

Friend, never allow anything this world has to offer come between you and your Lord, nor you and your brother!

ps -- be sure to turn on ESPN2 tomorrow night @ 8:00 p.m. to see the Bulls stampede!!

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How To Be A "Joy-Giver"

Are you interested in bringing your Christian brothers and sisters joy? Follow these guidelines, and you will be a great source of encouragement for the family of God:

1. Walk in truth (2 John 4)
2. Love the truth (2 John 6)
3. Abide in truth (2 John 9)
4. Welcome no untruth (2 John 9-11)

(Click here to read the brief book of Second John)

The result will be joy among the people of God!

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Be Sure Your Sin Will Find You Out

Here's an interesting story out of South Charleston, West Virginia:

A man who thought he was asking a friend about a drug deal instead sent a text message to the state police and was arrested, authorities said.

Joshua Wayne Cadle, 19, allegedly sent the message this past Wednesday to a phone number that used to belong to an unidentified friend. The number is now held by the State Police.

"He text messaged that and asked his friend if he wanted to buy some reefer," Moore said.

Another trooper who received the message responded and set up a meeting. Moore arrested Cadle on Wednesday night in the parking lot of a shopping center in South Charleston.

Cadle was charged with delivery of a controlled substance and possession with intent to deliver.

Not all sin involves that which is illegal. One can gossip, lie, harbor hate, be negligent in serving God, and the like without fear of prosecution. Some sins, however, are also against the laws of civil government. The story above is a classic example of a man's sin costing him freedom both spiritually and physically.

The Bible says:

But if you will not do so [obey], behold, you have sinned against the LORD, and be sure your sin will find you out.
Numbers 23:32, ESV

You may go through life and never break a single law, and therefore, never have the fear of losing your freedom. Then again, men have led lives of crime without ever being detected. They were so adept at "getting away with it" that they went to their graves innocent in the eyes of the law. But not in the eyes of the all powerful God who sees and knows all -- even that which nobody else does.

Whether or not our sin "finds us out" in this life, there will be no way to cover it up as we stand before the Judge of all creation.

Friend, deal wisely with your sin now, for you can do nothing about it then!

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Clothed With Humility

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 5:5, ESV

Good guys, and bad guys: Every movie has them. If you have "a team," every game has them. Life itself has "good guys and bad guys," too.

Men and women who have considered the evidence, and therefore, have faith in the God of the Bible understand the very simple choice in life every individual must make: Serve the Lord of all goodness and love, or the great deceiver who tempts and destroys in this realm and that which is to be. It comes down to good guys and bad guys. And although God "made man upright" (Ecclesiastes 7:29), we have all sought out many schemes. We have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Our own pride led us away from God, and that puts us on the side of "the bad guys."

Truly, God stands in opposition when we allow pride to chart life's course. The potential for the happy ending is there, though! The latter part of the statement from First Peter chapter five above reveals, of a truth, that God will bestow his kindness (i.e. grace) to those who will draw near to him in self-resigned humility. A chance to be on the side of "the good guys." A chance to serve God in humility, to be sure; but also an opportunity to gain a more complete understanding of how to treat our fellow man with respect and dignity.

The instruction given in the God-breathed statement above is to "clothe yourselves" with humility when it comes to our dealings with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Certainly, the same applies to our treatment of the entire human race. In the original language, the phrase, "clothe yourselves" is a term (engkomboosasthe), occurring only this once in the New Testament. It is a verb formed from kombos, which means "a knot," or "a buckle." As the verb occurs here in First Peter, it means, "to attach," or "to fasten." As Ceslas Spicq points out, "It evokes the large apron that workers or slaves fitted or fastened to their tunics to protect them."

Such an apron was one of the primary ways in which slaves (indentured servants) were distinguished from freemen during the first century. The idea, then, is that every Christian ought to present himself to his neighbor in a spirit of modesty and self-denial gained by an attitude that is firmly fitted with the "apron" of humility."

How many problems (both within the church and without) would be averted if every man would so clothe himself?

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Just One Way

Among the most quoted and recognizable words from the life of Christ are the following, found in the fourteenth chapter of John's account of the gospel:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

Christ declares himself to be the solution to the fundamental problem of the human race: sin and the consequences thereof. Have you given thought to the words in contrast to what we hear from other "authorities?"

Philosophy says THINK your way out.

Science says INVENT your way out.

Legislators say LEGISLATE your way out.

Politicians say SPEND your way out.

The liquor industry says DRINK your way out.

Psychiatry says TALK your way out.

Banks and lenders say BUY your way out.

Demonstrators say SHOUT your way out.

Rioters say FIGHT your way out.

Industry says WORK your way out.

False religion says FEEL your way out.

Satan says THERE IS NO WAY out.

Jesus says I AM the way out!

As the beloved old hymn declares, "There is just one way to the pearly gate!"

Are you going that way?

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Suing The Judge

(Cue The People's Court theme song)

Announcer, Jack Harrell: Now entering the courtroom, Nebraska State Senator, Ernie Chambers of Nebraska's 11th District. He has filed suit against the defendant for making terroristic threats against the senator and his constituents, inspiring fear, and causing "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."

(typewriter sound effect summarizing the charges)

Announcer, Jack Harrell: Meet the defendant.......God???

You heard right, ladies and gentlemen. An elected public official has filed a lawsuit against the Almighty. You can read more about this amazing story here.

Mr. Chambers claims he took action against the Creator of the universe to show how frivolous lawsuits can be filed against anyone at any time. It is probably safe to say that most Americans would agree that there are too many silly lawsuits being filed in our day and time. But is this really the most effective and wise way to demonstrate that point?

Ernie Chambers is an outspoken adversary of religion. It appears this was a way to "kill two birds with one stone." On the one hand, he has addressed the frivolity of many lawsuits; on the other, he is poking fun at the God he refuses to acknowledge.

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."
Psalm 53:1, ESV

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Procreating For Prizes!

Here is a story you may have heard about out of Russia.

A Russian region of Ulyanovsk has found a novel way to fight the nation's birth-rate crisis: It declared September 12th the "Day of Conception," and for the third year running gave couples time off from work to procreate.

The hope is for a brood of babies exactly nine months later on Russia's national day. Couples who "give birth to a patriot" during the June 12th festivities win money, cars, refrigerators, and other prizes.

Ulyanovsk, about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held similar contests since 2005. Since then, the number of competitors, and the number of babies born to them, has been on the rise.

Russia, with one-seventh of Earth's land surface, has just 141.4 million citizens, making it one of the most sparsely settled countries in the world. With a low birth rate and a high death rate, the population has been shrinking since the early 1990s.

In his state-of-the-nation address last year, President Vladimir Putin called the demographic crisis the most acute problem facing Russia and announced a broad effort to boost Russia's birth rate, including cash incentives to families that have more than one child.

Ulyanovsk Gov. Sergei Morozov has added an element of fun to the national campaign.

The 2007 grand prize went to Irina and Andrei Kartuzov, who received a UAZ-Patriot, a sport utility vehicle. Other contestants won video cameras, TVs, refrigerators and washing machines.

So, it amounts to procreating for prizes. Is there anything morally wrong here? Not so far as I can tell. One would simply hope these Russian parents will be even more interested in a proper upbringing of these children than they are in the prizes that may result. If God has blessed you with children, take this moment to remember His counsel regarding the priceless treasure that is yours:

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5, ESV

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Look Up!

"Give ear to my words, O LORD,

Consider my meditation.

Give heed to the voice of my cry,

My King and my God,

For to You I will pray.

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up."

Psalms 5:1-3

If you want to be distressed, LOOK WITHIN.

If you want to be defeated, LOOK BACK.

If you want to be distracted, LOOK AROUND.

If you want to be dismayed, LOOK AHEAD.

If you want to be disappointed, LOOK TO MAN.

If you want to be delivered, LOOK TO CHRIST.

If you want to be delighted, LOOK UP.

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A Balanced Life

These days, we hear about the importance of balance on a regular basis. Balanced diet, balanced bank account, balancing one's time wisely, balance beams........okay, that's one too many.

Truly, balance is a virtue. You and I should be striving for spiritual balance. The Bible says,

Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left...
Joshua 23:6, ESV

The people of God ought to avoid extremes. We should be committed to being Biblical -- ignoring terms such as "conservative," or "liberal." Can we not simply strive to be "Biblical?" Consider a handful of practical suggestions on creating and maintaining balance:

God's people ought to be...



SELF-RELIANT, but not Self-sufficient


STEADFAST, but not Stubborn


TACTFUL, but not Timid


SERIOUS, but not Sullen


UNMOVABLE, but not Stationary


GENTLE, but not Hypersensitive


TENDERHEARTED, but not Touchy


CONSCIENTIOUS, but not Perfectionistic

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The Christian And The World

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:14, ESV

On a Sunday evening earlier this month, I preached a sermon based upon Isaac Watts' classic hymn, When I Survey The Wondrous Cross. In that study, we noted how many of the thoughts expressed in that beloved hymn center around that God-breathed statement Paul made to the church of Christ in Galatia (see Galatians 6:14 above).

When I make the commitment to follow Christ, thereby sacrificing "all the vain things that charm me most," I am presented with indescribable blessings and riches eternal. At the same time, I am presented with a great challenge: To strike a balance of living in the world while, at the same time, not partaking in the evil deeds thereof.

Consider a handful of ways the Bible describes the Christian's relationship to this world (or age):

1. Delivered from it (Galatians 1:4)
2. Crucified to it (Galatians 6:14)
3. Dead to its elemental spirits (Colossians 2:20)
4. Not conformed to it (Romans 12:2)
5. Unknown by it (1 John 3:1)
6. Hated by it (John 17:14a)
7. Not of it (John 17:14b)
8. Loves it not (1 John 2:15-17)
9. Unstained by it (James 1:27)
10. Shuns its friendship (James 4:4)
11. Messengers to it (John 17:18)
12. Victorious over it (1 John 4:4; 5:4-5)

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The Only Work That Lasts

Aren't you thankful for the hard working people of the world? In large cities and small towns throughout America and around the world, industrious men and women strive diligently toward effective goods and services. The word of God commends such people:

Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before unknown men.
Proverbs 22:29, ESV

One of life's greatest challenges is to balance the work tied to this world with our labor tied to the world to come. Elders, deacons, and preachers ought not be the only ones working in the vineyard of the Lord. We are all "ministers" (servants) in the kingdom of the Savior. Do you want to contribute something to eternity? Then you must involve yourself in the only work that lasts. Listen to the words of the anonymous writer:

"Teach us, O God...

If we work upon marble, it will perish.

If we rear temples, they will crumble to dust.

If we work upon brass, time will efface it.

But if we work upon the minds and hearts of men and women,

Teaching them the love of God and their fellow man,

Then, and only then, will we have contributed something to eternity."

How have you contributed to eternity?

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Don't Lose Sight Of The Positives!

Is the church of Jesus Christ facing threats from within? Certainly. Influential individuals and entire congregations have introduced doctrine and practice over the years that have sought to move what should be a body without schism (1 Corinthians 12:25) toward an organization that mirrors the concept of the church in the denominational order of things.

However, great effort must be made not to lose sight of the multitude of positive, Biblical works ongoing in the kingdom of God today. If we are not careful, we can become so "wrapped up" in keeping tabs on those weighing the church down that we overlook or even refuse to see those who are doing great things to build her up! I speak from experience.

The more brethren I meet from across our nation -- yea, across our world -- the more I am encouraged and convinced the church is strong and very active in carrying out her mission. I recently had the opportunity to attend the Polishing The Pulpit seminar in Birmingham, Alabama. I met men and women from all over our own nation, and several who are doing the Lord's work on other continents. We have an abundance of talented people who are serving the Lord and his church in mighty ways. Let us remember to unceasingly pray for the church around the world, and to be active supporters of as many workers for the truth as possible.

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.
3 John 5-8

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